NEW DELHI: There appears to be similarities between the 2019 Pulwama terror attack in which an explosive laden car was used to cause a blast killing Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, and the Monday blast in Delhi.
In the Delhi blast, a slow-moving car was used with explosives in it to trigger the blast, intelligence sources said, adding that though the exact cause of the explosion is yet to be ascertained, preliminary inputs suggest that those involved in it might have used Improvised Explosive Device (IED) to trigger the blast.
However, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, when asked if it was a terrorist attack, said, “We are keeping all angles open and investigating from all angles. It is very difficult to say what caused the incident. Until the samples recovered from the blast site are analysed by the FSL and the NSG, it is difficult to say anything about it. However, we do not consider any angle closed. We will investigate all angles with determination.”
Meanwhile in the Pulwama attack, the terrorists had used a Maruti Eeco car and in today’s blast, sources said, a Hyundai i20 hatchback has been under focus of investigation. But it is yet to be established whether the slow-moving car, which caused the explosion, was carrying people in it or not, the sources said, adding that the blast occurred in the rear of the vehicle, possibly in the boot.
A security expert said that despite the blast being so powerful that it broke the glass windows of the gate No 1 of the Metro station, it did not leave any craters on the site. “This leads us to conclude that the car was moving,” he said.
However, they said, anything conclusive could only be said after forensic analysis of the material used in the blast, and details about the car.
According to sources in the MHA, all state security agencies have been put on high alert, and security has also been stepped up at the Indo-Nepal border and intelligence officials have been monitoring all visitors crossing the open border with that country.
On 14 February 2019, CRPF convoys moving along the Jammu and Srinagar National Highway were attacked, resulting in 40 deaths.
US closely monitoring situation
The United States on Monday said it is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready to provide consular assistance in the wake of the deadly bomb blast near Red Fort in New Delhi that has killed at least eight people and injured many more. A State Department spokesperson said “we are aware of the explosion near Red Fort in Delhi. We are closely monitoring the situation and stand ready to provide consular assistance.”